Current wireless networks integrate wired and wireless services at the access layer. Converging the wired and wireless services allows mobility services to be provided to wireless mobile stations within an integrated mobility architecture. As wireless mobile client devices roam from one wireless access point to another access point that is managed by a different access switch, the network infrastructure tunnels the client traffic between the client device's point of presence at one access switch and point of attachment at the other access switch. Each access switch may serve a plurality of wireless access points and also serves as a connection point to the wired network.
When a wireless mobile client device first enters the wireless network it associates with a wireless access point managed by a switch. The first switch that the wireless mobile client device “attaches” to may be referred to as the “anchor” switch. The anchor switch provides a point of presence for the wireless mobile client device within the wired network and a point of attachment for the wireless network. When the wireless mobile client roams to another wireless access point managed by another switch, which referred to as a “foreign” switch, the point of attachment moves to the new switch while the point of presence remains with the anchor switch. The anchor switch needs to continue advertising the wireless mobile device's point of presence in the wired network even though the wireless mobile device's point of attachment is with a foreign switch which can lead to anchor switch overload in certain network environments.